Zenit escape with pitiful fine for fans' racist chant violation

By David Gold

April 11 – Zenit St Petersburg have been fined 100,000 rubles ($3,400/€2,600) after their fans (pictured left) were found guilty of racist chanting during a victory against Lokomotiv Moscow last week.

Zenit, whose fans are often held as some of the worst offenders of racism in Russia, won the game 2-0 but supporters made monkey noises at Lokomotiv’s black players, including former Inter Milan forward Victor Obinna and Ecuadorian Felipe Caicedo.

Zenit, the reigning Russian champions who are set to retain their title this season, were also in trouble last year when legendary Brazilian left back Roberto Carlos had a banana thrown at him by Zenit fans during his debut in March for Anzhi Makhachkala in St Petersburg.

Lokomotiv have also been at the heart of a racism storm this season after their fans threw a banana at Anzhi Makhachkala’s Christopher Samba.

The Russian Football Union and Premier League have both pledged to tackle the issue of racism, and have set up a task force to do so.

However, the fine doled out to Zenit is significantly less than the 500,000 rubles ($17,000/€13,000) that Spartak Moscow’s Emmanuel Emenike (pictured below, centre) was told to pay after he reacted to racist abuse from Dynamo Moscow fans with an offensive gesture.

To add insult to injury, it was also revealed this year that a fan who admitted throwing a banana at Carlos, this time when Anzhi played Krylya Sovetov last June, was let off without punishment after holding his hands up and apologising.

Former manager Dick Advocaat infamously once said he that would never sign a black player for the team, although he wanted to, but said the club’s supporters would not accept them.

With Russia hosting the World Cup in six years’ time, officials are facing a battle to stamp out the problem, which Sports Minister and Russia 2018 chairman Vitaly Mutko has pledged to do, though he also insists that their problems with racism are no worse than those faced by other countries.

At a Russia 2018 press conference last month, Mutko made this very point, citing the case of John Terry, the Chelsea defender who was stripped of the England captaincy after he allegedly racially abused Queens Park Rangers’ defender Anton Ferdinand.

Terry faces trial this summer.

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